The Kennedys Miniseries Proves To Be As Controversial As The Family Itself

The Kennedys Miniseries Will Be Seen On Reelzchannel April 3.

April 3 sees the premier of The Kennedys,” an eight-episode miniseries for ReelzChannel.

Developed by Joel Surnow,Theodore Sorensen, John F. Kennedy’s adviser and speechwriter, and the filmmaker
Robert Greenwald have complained about the scripts-in-progress. Greenwald referred to the work as “political character assassination,” and Sorensen, argued that “this one-sided, right-wing script” suffers from “a vindictive, malicious approach.”

Visitors to a site Greenwald set up were encouraged to sign a petition stating, “Until The History Channel stops running politically motivated fiction as historical ‘fact,’ I will refuse to watch their programming.” In the end, the History Channel executives gave up the project, releasing a statement that said, “After viewing the final product in its totality, we have concluded this dramatic interpretation is not a fit for the History brand.”

Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver are said to have put pressure on the History Channel’s parent network, A&E, with which they share a web of personal and professional connections, to pull the plug on the show.

ReelzChannel, the barely-known, family-owned cable channel was the only network willing to take a
chance on the $30 million series that seemed destined for a straight to DVD release.